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Reviewer:
Srajan Ebaen
Financial Interests: click here
Headphones: ALO Audio-rewired Audez'e LCD2, Beyerdynamic T1, Sennheiser HD800, AKG K702; HifiMan HE-6, HE-500 and HE-5LE; audio-technica ATH-W5000; Ortofon eQ7 IEM
Stands: Sieveking Omega
Review Component Retail: About €400 in Europe


Get your buttons pushed
. Cecilia Lütz and Michael Hollesen offer the above in combination with their CanCans. And before you ask, can is hifi slang for headphones. Canning your cans then implies putting 'em away. CanCans. Not out to pasture, mind, but on something functional and pretty whilst off the head.


Voilà. Add black or white gloss stands—other colors available for a surcharge—button up at will and there's quite the range of designer choices to be made.


Calling yourself Klutz Design is arguably way buttoned down. But then the Swedes aren't professional designers. And they delight in letting us know. Their creations of course give no indication of anything klutzy. It's all a deception.


"Many moons back you were so kind as to publish a feature on our Ballerina Sweetspot listening chair prototype. Having worked out the kinks going from prototype to 'near' production, we are planning to launch the production version within the coming 3 to 6 months (maybe even a 'final' pre-production version ready for HE in Munich). In parallel and much faster in terms of development time we are now in full production on a new product, our headphone stand CanCans. I know that you love your Sieveking Omega but I hope you’ll see that we’ve 'beat it' on beauty, pure mass, aesthetics and functionality, albeit at a very high price (standard white or black retails in Sweden for about €400). Though never our intention, such is the cost of craftsmanship made in Sweden. Once you see and experience it 'live' you’ll hopefully recognize both the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the design and agree that such must cost. We’ll be launching it officially at High End München where a number of equipment manufacturers will be using it in their individual booths and exhibitions. The drop-shaped cradle is milled from solid wood, coated in a high-gloss lacquer and placed on a solid polished metal foot. Aside from the aesthetics, the cradle actually is a safer construction than a plain surface and we’ve included two knobs to hold the cable safely and neatly out of the way. All together the CanCans weighs 2kgs and fitted with a rubber mat under the solid metal foot just sits firmly in place without slipping or sliding."

 

The implication behind this email was to have me write what the trade calls a fluff or puff piece. As someone who occasionally chases down nearly impossibly subtle sonic differences whilst sweating over how to properly describe them, such an assignment is a puff of breath fair. It puts me all outa sorts. Seriously again, it's a mini vacation even more so than reporting on an advanced speaker stand which, though requiring no break-in, still has to be auditioned to assess whether it really exhibits any of the claimed sonic benefits made for it.


A headphone stand meanwhile was a canister into which to pitch all listening notes and technical descriptions. Taking photos, then reporting on fit, finish and functionality would be it. Sweet.


Incidentally the Klutz was right about my fondness for the German Sieveking Omega stand. What's more, he was also right that it doesn't account for the leashes which in my aftermarket cases tend to be very substantial. What good is partial neatness where the 'phones are displayed like a center fold whilst entrails hang out to dry? I've come to despise that particularly on my desktop. There space is at a premium. And here neatness does help to set the proper tone to do good work. 3 meters of headphone cord unaccounted for are simply sloppy. Where is that book on proppa gramma?


Now here's an HD-800 properly buttoned up to the throat. Add a bow tie for good behavior. All this is based on Klutz's own photography and descriptions. Would there be additional magic puff once I laid eyes and hands on the CanCans?

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